The system maintains many of the same hardware and connected features as Nintendo 3DS such as touch-screen controls, StreetPass, Miiverse, and online multiplayer functionality. The Nintendo 2DS is also backward compatible with the library of Nintendo DS games, and offers the ability to download games from the Nintendo eShop.

Nintendo3DS owners can download a free demo of the upcoming fighting game, Super Smash Bros., in the Nintendo eShop at 9 a.m. PT today. The demo includes playable characters Mario, Link, Pikachu, Villager, and Mega Man. It also features the battlefield stage and the ability to compete in local multiplayer matches with fellow Nintendo 3DS owners who have downloaded the demo to their systems.

Nintendo’s five-sports-in-one packaged version of Wii Sports Club for Wii U hits stores on July 25. The game features new versions of the five original classic sports–tennis, bowling, golf, baseball and boxing–enhanced with an online multiplayer option and optimized for play with the Wii U GamePad controller.

NES Remix 2 will launch exclusively at the NintendoeShop on Wii U on April 25. The game has a new mode inspired by the 1990 Nintendo World Championship, which challenged players to achieve the highest cumulative score in three specific games through a multiplier-based scoring system.

The three games in Championship Mode include Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, and Dr. Mario. Players will take on three successive score-based challenges to achieve a cumulative total score, which they can post to Miiverse. The first NES Remix game is required to access Championship Mode in NES Remix 2.

NES Remix 2 is a mash-up of classic Nintendo games including Metroid, Kid Icarus, and Kirby’s Adventure, with added challenges and modified stages.

Nintendo has sold a record amount of Nintendo 3DS games in 2013 and is set to release four new games early this year to take advantage of this trend. Last year, more than 16 million combined packaged and digital Nintendo 3DS games were sold, topping 2012 sales by 45 percent. Lifetime hardware sales in the U.S. for the Nintendo 3DS family of portable systems, including the Nintendo 3DS XL and Nintendo 2DS, passed 11.5 million.

Yoshi’s New Island will launch on March 14 in stores and in the Nintendo eShop, where Yoshi will reunite with Baby Mario to help him to safety. Disney Magical World will feature dozens of Disney characters in Disney-themed worlds, launching in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on April 11. A free demo of Square Enix’s role-playing game Bravely Default is now available exclusively in the Nintendo eShop and the full version will be available for purchase in stores and the Nintendo eShop on February 7. Lastly, the final installment of the second Professor Layton trilogy will launch on February 28 in stores and the Nintendo eShop.

On January 10, Nintendo‘s Wii Fit U for Wii U will arrive at retail. With Wii Fit U, users can navigate a luge course, spray a water hose, bounce on a giant trampoline, and grab the new Fit Meter to continue their workouts on the go.

Wii Fit U allows users to get up and moving using both their Wii U console and Wii Balance Board accessory. The game features some of the best activities from the original Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus games, as well as new activities that incorporate the Wii U GamePad controller. Users can create their own personalized workouts or select from multiple recommended ones based on their fitness goals. These workouts can even be tracked using Miiverse (broadband Internet required), and members of Miiverse gym communities can view their favorite workouts, as well as track popular activities and total community calories burned.

Wii Fit U bundles come packaged with a new activity meter called the Fit Meter, which is designed to sync up with the game and track daily routines. People can carry the Fit Meter with them anywhere they go, and then easily sync it to their Wii Fit U profiles to track steps taken, calories burned, and other daily activities. If the user doesn’t reach the calorie target, the game will propose Wii Fit U exercises to bridge the gap. Different family members can each own their own Fit Meter, allowing them to create individual profiles and compare their fitness progress and activities with one another. [Read more...]

Fans will be able to purchase all three of these Wii U and Nintendo 3DS releases, a day before they launch in stores and in the Nintendo eShop. In addition to early access to the games, chalk artist Chris Carlson will be on site to reveal an art piece featuring iconic imagery from The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. Costumed characters from both the Mario and Zelda series will also be there and taking pictures with fans.

Nintendo is giving Wii U owners the chance to get fit for free. Starting today, Wii U owners who own a Wii Balance Board accessory and have access to a broadband Internet connection can download a free trial version of Wii Fit U from the Nintendo eShop. The trial software is not an abbreviated version of the game—it is the full Wii Fit U experience. The trial will be downloadable from the Nintendo eShop between November 1 and January 31, and will work for 31 days from when it is first played.

Any trial participant who buys a Fit Meter accessory and syncs it to the game will be able to continue playing Wii Fit U forever. The Fit Meter has many of the same features of modern activity meters, and people can purchase one at select retailers and online.

With Wii Fit U, the workout goes wherever the user goes. People can work out at home, or take the Fit Meter with them to track steps taken, elevation changes, and calories burned. One button press syncs the Fit Meter data to the in-game profile, so people get credit for their physical activity, even if they aren’t at home for a traditional Wii Fit U workout. The game also lets people create custom routines of their favorite activities, review their progress and see what their friends are up to in online Gym Communities and Miiverse.

With more than 70 different activities to choose from, Wii Fit U combines fun and fitness in yoga, strength training, and fitness games. For the first time, dance activities are also included. Players can try eight different dance styles, including salsa, hula, and hip hop.

Batman: Arkham Origins, in which Batman is hunted by eight of the deadliest assassins from the DC Comics Universe, is available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U, and Windows PC. New to the franchise is a multiplayer mode, developed by Splash Damage, which allows friends and foes to engage in online play that blends traditional Arkham gameplay with those of third-person shooter mechanics.

Players looking to extend their gameplay experience can buy the Batman: Arkham Origins Season Pass, comprised of five of the game’s upcoming downloadable content packs. The Season Pass is available on the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live online entertainment network from Microsoft, Nintendo eShop, and Steam.

The Wonderful 101 has launched on September 15 for the Wii U console. It is filled with characters, led by Wonder-Red. Players can meet other heroes that will join the team, such as the Wonder-Blue and Wonder-Pink.

By drawing certain symbols on the screen or with the right control stick, players combine multiple heroes in a Unite Morph. Players can recruit citizens to become heroes in battle. The more citizens players recruit, the more powerful their Unite Morph attacks become. Players can also track and recruit the rest of the Wonderful 100 such as Wonder-Guitar, Wonder-Locomotive, Wonder-Signal, and Wonder-Toilet.

The in-game Wonderful Mart lets players spend O-Parts acquired during battles to unlock additional Unite Morphs, as well as new abilities and upgrades.

In addition to the single-player mode, The Wonderful 101 offers a co-op multiplayer mode for up to five players. The Wonderful 101 can also be purchased and downloaded in the Nintendo eShop on Wii U.

New Products

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment (WBIE), TT Games, and The Lego Group will launch Lego Worlds on Feb. 21 for PlayStation4, Xbox One, and STEAM. The game is a galaxy of imaginative words made entirely of digital LEGO bricks where players can explore, discover, and create together.

TILT launched two SpinTales products online at Toysrus.com, the SpinTales Enchanted Duvet and Jungle Rug. Kids can use the free app designed for these products to create immersive augmented reality experiences with the products, which blur the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds.

Jakks Pacific has been granted the rights to manufacture and market a line of pet products inspired by the BOO—The World’s Cutest Dog brand. The Pets division of Jakks is planning a line of BOO-branded dog toys featuring BOO’s likeness and specially designed for small dogs, as well as dog apparel, dog beds, and dog [...]

To celebrate “Colorful Friday” and the launch of the new Special Edition Gemma Stone Shoppie Doll, Moose Toys is launching the “Make the World Sparkle and Shine” fan contest. To enter the contest starting on Nov. 25, fans must submit 4 to 6 sentences describing how they add “sparkle” to their world by helping out [...]

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announced the release of six expansion packs for LEGO Dimensions, led by the Sonic The Hedgehog Level Pack and the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Story Pack.